Rail Scenes in Latchford, Ontario:

last updated 08/23/04

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Runaway Boxcar

This incident took place in July 1955. See The Rail history of Latchford link for a better description of this incident. The Latchford switching locomotive, often referred to as "the Dinky", was switching these two boxcars from Gordon's Mill in the south of town to the lumberyards on a hill above.  As the Dinky passed a switch, one car derailed and tipped over, causing the CPR car to be inadvertently uncoupled, where it rolled back down the hill and through the mill.  The result was a Canadian Pacific Railway boxcar rolling through the end wall of one of the buildings and falling into Bay Lake. The aftermath is described in the pictures below. The pictures were taken using an old Kodak Brownie camera. Sorry about Mom's finger in one of the frames!  Thanks to Rene Garreau for the details.  

Photos by Sheila Godby.

Last Steam Train to Latchford (June 25, 1957):

Views of locomotive 701, as it ran for the last time on the ONR. After this trip, it was retired to permanent display in Englehart, Ontario.
Photos: Sheila Godby